Vijay Shah, a senior leader of India’s Hindu extremist BJP party and a minister in the state of Madhya Pradesh, called Muslim soldier Colonel Sofia Qureshi, who had briefed the media about Operation Sindoor launched by the Indian army against Pakistan, a terrorist.
A renewed debate has erupted after a BJP leader delivered a hate speech against Muslims, and Congress leaders have demanded the immediate resignation of the Bharatiya Janata Party minister.
Indian army colonel Sofia Qureshi, while giving details of Operation Sindoor, briefed the media about the losses suffered by India in the Pakistani army’s retaliatory actions.
In response to this statement, Vijay Shah, a minister from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, instead of acknowledging the failure of his government and the army, expressed his hatred for Muslims and criticized Colonel Sofia.
Vijay Shah said that terrorists stripped our Hindu brothers and sisters naked and killed them. In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent the terrorists’ sister in an army plane to attack their homes. The terrorists left our sister a widow, so Modi sent sisters from his community (the terrorists’) to teach them a lesson.
After this hateful statement, Vijay Shah is being harshly criticized, so he also issued a statement of condolences in which he said, “If my statement has hurt anyone’s feelings, I am ready to apologize. I respect Colonel Sofia more than my sister.”
India’s opposition party, the Congress, immediately took note of the matter and demanded Vijay Shah’s dismissal from the Madhya Pradesh cabinet.
Congress President Malik Arjun Kharge said in his statement that whoever made this hateful statement should be suspended immediately.
Malik Arjun Kharge said terrorists tried to divide the country through the Pahalgam incident, but the entire nation is united. The BJP leader made a very vile, inappropriate, and hateful statement about Colonel Sofia Qureshi.
It should be recalled that India blamed Pakistan without evidence for the terrorist incident that took place at the Pahalgam tourist site in occupied Kashmir on April 22, and despite Pakistan’s offer of a transparent and impartial investigation into the Pahalgam incident, India not only unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty but also shelled residential areas in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir on the night of May 6-7, killing 31 civilians and injuring dozens.
In a fierce retaliation by Pakistani forces, five Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets, and several checkpoints were destroyed.
Even after receiving such a concession, India did not stop and then sent Israeli-made Herop drones to several Pakistani cities, which were destroyed. Then, on May 10, India attacked Nur Khan Air Base and Rahim Yar Khan Airport, after which Pakistani forces destroyed several airfields, including the Indian airbases of Udhampur and Adampur.
Pakistani forces not only destroyed India’s S-400 air defense system, but the Pakistani cyberattack also disrupted 70% of India’s electricity supply. Seeing its defeat at the hands of Pakistani forces, India requested help from the United States to establish a ceasefire, and the United States, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, brokered a ceasefire between the two countries on the evening of May 10.
